Sir Peter Paul, the most distinguished painter of the Flemish school, was the fourth son and sixth child of John Rubens, a lawyer of some celebrity, and Maria Pypelinck, and was born at Siegen on the 29th of June 1577. As this was the festival of St Peter and St Paul, the parents agreed that their infant son should bear the name of those illustrious saints. The family resettled at Cologne the next year after the birth of Peter Paul, where they afterwards resided until the death of his father, which occurred on the 18th of March 1587. On the following year his mother, after an exile of twenty years from her hereditary abode, resolved to return to Antwerp, which had in 1585, after a twelvemonth's siege, surrendered to the dominion of Spain. The future painter, who was now ten years of age, probably left Cologne with some boyish regrets; for in speaking of it afterwards in a letter dated 15th July 1637, he says—"I have a great affection for the city of Cologne, where I was brought up until I was ten years of age." Rubens commenced his studies with ardour on reaching Antwerp, and seems to have prosecuted them with very marked success. His mother placed him with the Countess of Lalaing as page; but this was much too frivolous an occupation for Peter Paul, and, returning to his mother very shortly after, beseeched her to allow him to become a painter. As the boy had displayed great quickness in the acquisition of knowledge, and particularly in the department of languages, his mother and guardians had destined him to follow the profession of his father. He had certainly displayed quite an uncommon talent for drawing, however; and this peculiar gift, combined with his earnest solicitations, and also with the melancholy fact, that the family fortune had been very much reduced by the late wars, induced his mother, although it must have been somewhat galling to the maternal pride, to place young Rubens, then in his thirteenth year, with Tobias Verhaeght, or more correctly Van Haight, a skilful landscape-painter, where he might acquire the rudiments of his art. He remained but a short time with his first master, and subsequently joined the historical painter Adam Van Noort, or Oort, as notorious for his dissolute life as he was distinguished for his exquisite colouring. Rubens suffered his vulgar habits and churlish disposition for a considerable time; but human patience gave way at last, and he was compelled to leave him. He now, in his nineteenth year, had recourse to Otto Van Veen, usually known as Otto Venius, "the Flemish Raphael," then court painter to the Infanta Isabella and her husband the Archduke Albert. Here Rubens, for the first time, found all that he most desired. His master was a man of gentle and polished manners, very willing, and thoroughly capable of giving instructions both in the scientific knowledge and in the minor details of the painter's art. The progress of Rubens during this period was quite unexampled; and in 1600, when he had hardly completed his twenty-third year, Venius advised him to proceed to Italy, and generously presented him to the Archduke Albert and the Infanta, who furnished him with letters of recommendation to smooth his way to that land of art. He had already executed (Descamps, Les Vies des Peintres, i., p. 323) several pictures of considerable value; among others, the "Adoration of the Three Kings," a "Holy Trinity," and a "Dead Christ."

On the 9th of May 1600 Rubens set out for Italy, and made Venice his first halting-place. Here he studied and copied the works of Titian, Paul Veronese, and other eminent masters who were likely to assist him in the cultivation of his decided faculty for colour. While busily occupied with these engagements, he became known to Vincenzo II. de Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, a distinguished patron of literature and the fine arts, who, upon his presenting his letters of recommendation from the archduke, appointed him gentleman of the chamber and court painter. This distinction was precisely what Rubens needed, for it afforded him leisure to study the immense collection of art treasures in Mantua, where the spirited and beautiful compositions of Giulio Romano, and the severe dignity of Andrea Mantegna, seem particularly to have delighted him. Returning from Rome, whither he had gone upon a short visit, he was employed by the Duke of Mantua in 1603 upon a political mission to Philip III. of Spain. It is obvious that Rubens, besides possessing splendid talents as a painter, must have likewise displayed no ordinary degree of culture, combined with wonderful politeness of manners and refinement of address, ere he could have gained the entire confidence and good-will of the Duke Vincenzio. But Rubens was a man of genius, and, as Sir Dudley Carleton styled him in 1618, he was "the prince of painters and of gentlemen." Very handsome and dignified in his person, with a fine complexion, glossy brown hair, eyes of "a golden embowment," that beamed with a softened fire, a captivating manner, and an agreeable voice; with a sound and clear intellect, with a splendid imagination that much study had enriched and controlled, with a fine turn for humour, and with the most complete self-command,—is it to be wondered at that he almost enchanted those with whom he came in contact? and is it strange that the Duke Vincenzio was among the number? Nor did his mission to Madrid belie the duke's sagacity. He was received with all the grace accorded to an ambassador, and with all the interest attendant on a splendid artist. He painted portraits of the king, many of the Spanish nobles, besides numerous historical pieces. His mission fulfilled, he returned again to Mantua, and persuaded the duke to allow him again to visit Rome. While in the Eternal City he copied the principal paintings of the great masters, and executed three pictures for his former patron the Archduke Albert, designed to adorn the church of Santa Croce della Gerusalemme. In the beginning of the year 1607 he left Rome, and proceeded first to Milan and afterwards to Genoa, where his fame having preceded him, he was received in the most princely manner by the nobles and first men of the city. The beauty of the place, the mildness of the climate, and the great courtesy of the inhabitants, induced him to prolong his stay. Here he painted two of his best works for the church of the Jesuits, besides making numerous drawings and plans of the pompous palaces and fantastic buildings of the city, a collection which he subsequently engraved at Antwerp, and published under the title of Palazzi antichi di Genova, raccolti e designati da Pietro Paolo Rubens, 1622, 2 vols. large folio, with 139 copperplates.

Rubens was interrupted in his interesting studies in the month of November 1608 by the alarming intelligence of his mother's serious illness. He hastened to Antwerp, but before he arrived she was dead. Overwhelmed with grief, he withdrew to the abbey of St Michael, and there he remained for four months in the deepest seclusion, pouring out his woes upon his canvas, with nothing to console him but his pencil and a few choice books. Strange that this man, who had just captivated courts by the splendour of his presence, and won their admiration by the dazzling qualities of his genius, should here, on the death of a woman of seventy, immerse himself within the walls of an abbey, and spend four weary months in quite unavailing tears. We must recollect that this aged person was his own mother, dearer to him than all else the world knew, and that Rubens carried the qualities of genius in his heart as well as in his head. That genius is always saturated with the moral nature of a man is no less true than that the moral nature of Rubens was superlatively fine. After raising a tomb to the memory of his mother, he resolved to set out for Mantua; but the Archduke Albert would not hear of his leaving Flanders. He was sent for to attend upon the court at Brussels, received a pension, and was made court painter. He was accordingly persuaded to remain in his native land; and to avoid the distractions of a court in the prosecution of his high designs, he asked permission to choose Antwerp as his place of residence, a request that was readily granted him. He accordingly settled down in that ancient city; and on the 13th of October 1609 he was married, in the abbey church of St Michael, to Isabella Brant, daughter of a magistrate of Antwerp. By this wife Rubens had two children: Albert and Nicolas, to the former of whom the Archduke stood sponsor, and gave him his own name. As a still further promotion of his comfort and happiness, he, in 1610, built a princely house after the Italian style, from designs of his own, and adorned its walls with those priceless works of the great masters which he had collected in Italy. Rubens, who was exceedingly regular and temperate in his habits, had great powers of application. As he prosecuted his art he had always a person employed to read to him from some favourite classical author. The writers which delighted him most were Livy, Plutarch, Cicero, and Seneca. His excellent acquaintance with the Latin, besides other modern languages, must have been of singular advantage to him.

All the towns of the Netherlands, all the cities of Italy, rivalled each other in their eagerness to possess pictures from the pencil of this rising Flemish master. Envy, that invariable shadow of greatness, projected its sombre outline occasionally over the figure of Rubens; but, turning on it with his gay humour and merry laugh, it swiftly slunk off to the halls of Orcus and old Night. It was about this time that, solicited by an English alchemist, named Brendel, for money to aid him in his pursuit of the philosopher's stone—"You are come," said Rubens, taking him into his study, "twenty years too late; for it was then with this palette and these brushes that I found the philosopher's stone." It would have been well for Vandyck if he had listened to this advice, who allowed himself to be robbed of a great part of his fortune by these silly projects of the gold-seeker.

One of the first compositions of Rubens on his settling at Antwerp was an altar-piece for the private chapel of the archduke, representing "A Holy Family;" and art-critics are agreed that of all his pictures of this class, this "Holy Family" bears away the palm. It was so much admired that the members of the fraternity of St Ildefonso had an altar-piece painted by Rubens for the chapel of the order of St James on the Caudenberg, near Brussels, which was one of the most admirable paintings that ever came from his hands. As a fine specimen of the strongly-marked outlines, glowing colouring, and careful execution with which he handled portraits at this period, there is the celebrated picture in the Munich gallery representing himself and his wife. The free, brilliant, and fantastic style of his later years is hardly at all perceptible in this admirable picture. Such works as "The Descent from the Cross," executed for the Antwerp Arquebusiers as an indemnification for a threatened lawsuit, raised the painter's reputation to the very highest pitch; and Marie de Medicis, the widowed queen of France, wishing to adorn the Luxembourg palace, chose Rubens, in preference to all other artists of his day, to perform this great undertaking. He executed twenty-one compositions for this Luxembourg gallery, besides a series of portraits in his own studio at Antwerp. In this great enterprise he received material aid from his pupils and assistants, many of whom subsequently rose to eminence in their profession. The most celebrated among his pupils were Vandyck, David Teniers, and Jacob Jordaens; and the most distinguished of his assistants, who usually painted backgrounds, animals, and other accessories, were Snyders, Wildens, and Van Uden. This work completed, probably with too great haste (for the taste of some of the representations is very questionable, and disagreeably Flemish), the queen and her court at Paris testified their high approbation. Rubens, having made the acquaintance of the Duke of Buckingham at Paris, that nobleman bought from him the whole of his collection of works of art for the sum of 100,000 florins, or L10,000. On the 29th of September 1626 Rubens lost his wife; and to divert his mind from this heavy domestic affliction he undertook a journey to Holland, and visited all the painters of note under the guidance of young Joachim Sandart.

In 1627 Rubens laid aside his brush and palette for a time, and engaged in a delicate political mission to the court of Spain in behalf of his country. His stay at Madrid being somewhat protracted, he found leisure to execute several excellent pictures. It was on occasion of this visit to the Spanish capital that Rubens made the acquaintance of the youthful Velasquez, with whom he had previously corresponded. It was this "Spanish Vandyck" who escorted Rubens through the art treasuries of the Escorial, and with whom, during his stay in Spain, the great Fleming spent many happy hours. Philip IV. of Spain made him secretary to the Privy Council, an office which in 1630 was granted in reversion to his son Albert by letters-patent, and he returned to Brussels with entire success. He had not long been in the Netherlands when occasion was found in 1629 for another diplomatic mission to the English court. Rubens set out as the herald of peace from the courts of Spain and Flanders, and on his arrival in London received a most gracious reception from Charles I. His splendid artistic genius, his cultivated intellect, his refined manners, all contributed to win the regard and admiration of the king. Meanwhile, he painted an allegory of the blessings of peace and war, a "St George and the Dragon," and an "Assumption of the Virgin" which he presented to the king. He was likewise commissioned to paint the allegorical history of James I. for the banqueting-hall, Whitehall, an engagement which he executed on his return to Antwerp, completed them in 1634, and sent them to England in 1635. (Sainsbury's Rubens, p. 184.) He likewise received the honorary distinction of M.A. from the university of Cambridge in the month of September 1629. The tedious negotiations with Cottington being brought to a close, the ambassador prepared for taking leave. Before doing so, however, the king, to mark the distinguished opinion which he entertained of the great artist, had him knighted in Whitehall, presented him with the royal sword, and attaching the regal portrait to a rich gold chain, suspended it round the neck of Sir Peter Paul Rubens. Thus loaded with honours, the ambassador sailed away, and returning probably by way of Madrid (see Sainsbury's Original Papers relating to Rubens, London, 1859), where he had renewed favours heaped upon him, he presented himself to the Infanta Isabella at Brussels, who gave him a most gracious reception. On the 6th of December 1630, Rubens, then in his fifty-fourth year, married Helena Forman or Fourment, his niece, a girl of sixteen, and possessed, according to all accounts, of remarkable beauty. Her portrait, which served him frequently as a model, is found in many of his historical pieces. Returning to Antwerp in 1631, Rubens again resumed his favourite occupation with renewed vigour. He was made director of the School of Art there, and on his installation presented the academy with a beautiful picture of the "Virgin with the infant Jesus and Joseph." The studio of Rubens now presented a most animated scene. The most considerable princes of Europe vied with each other in obtaining works from the hand of the great Fleming; and in order to gratify these crowned heads, he contented himself with merely superintending the execution of his pictures, and by putting the finishing touches to the whole. This circumstance must materially detract from the individuality of those paintings, however it may have astonished the recipients of them at the time. His artistic occupations were again interrupted in 1633 by another diplomatic embassy to Holland. The treaty of peace was suddenly cut short by the death of his patron, the Infanta Isabella, in 1633, who had survived her husband upwards of ten years. In 1635 the busy hand of the painter, that for long years had seldom been stayed, was now destined to receive a severe check, reminding him in the most emphatic manner that he must take in his canvas and prepare for the coming storm. He was attacked by fits of the gout, which frequently assailing his hands, rendered him quite incapable of lifting his brush. He now confined himself to small landscapes, many of which he finished at his country residence at Stein, near Mechlin. He lingered on for the next five years, the fits of his disorder becoming more frequent and violent, till, in the beginning of 1640, he fell a victim to this torturing malady in the sixty-third year of his age. Thus was lost to the world, not at a very mature age, one of the very greatest men whom it had known.

"Rubens," says Smith in his Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of Eminent Painters, "possessed a more universal genius, a more extensive knowledge of all the principles of the art, and a greater power in the practice of them, than any other painter who has hitherto existed." (For a critical estimate of the paintings of Rubens, the reader is referred to the articles ARTS, PAINTING; See also Original Papers relating to Rubens, by Sainsbury, London 1859; Waagen's Life of Rubens, 1840; Michel, Histoire de la Vie de P. P. Rubens, 1854; Michiels, Rubens et l'Ecole d'Anvers, 1854.)